Apple’s sure up to something with synthetic sapphire, and its apparent level of involvement hints that we’re looking at intentions a little more substantial than just home buttons or camera lens covers. If we’re to believe the rumors, we could even be looking at full-on sapphire screens for this next generation of iPhones. But assuming that really is true, and Apple makes good on these rumors: what next? Surely other companies would be feeling the pressure to follow suit with sapphire phones of their own, so which might be next in line with its own models? Unsurprisingly, some big names in the industry are reportedly looking into sapphire materials, with Samsung and LG named in particular.

This report out of South Korea claims that while Samsung and LG may have previously dismissed the idea of using sapphire in their phones as too expensive an option, both are said to be reconsidering the material. That certainly sounds like a wise move in light of these Apple rumors, as if the iPhone maker is able to deliver affordable mass-market sapphire-screened phones, LG and Samsung’s “too expensive” excuse won’t hold a lot of water, and we can’t imagine it would be any fun explaining that failure to shareholders.

We’re still too far out to identify any particular LG or Samsung model that might employ a sapphire screen covering – it’s hard to even narrow things down to a particular time window, and all we really have at this point are these early rumors of renewed interest. Still, the sooner they can come out with sapphire phones of their own, the better, and we imagine they might be rushing to catch up after their late starts.